τίλλω

A. ἔτιλα Theoc. 3.21, (ἀπ‐) Ar. Lys. 578. Fr. 686: pf. τέτιλκα PCair.Zen. 782(b.).121 (iii B.C.):—Med., Ep. impf. τιλλέσθην Il. 24.711: fut. τιλοῦμαι(παρα‐) Men. 363.5:—Pass., aor. ἐτίλθην Ar. Nu. 1083: 2 aor. ἐτίλην [ι] LXX Da. 7.4; 3 sg. imper. τιλήτωι PFay. 131.18 (iii/iv A.D.); part. τειλείς (i.e. τιλ‐) PFlor. 322.36 (iii A.D.): pf. τέτιλμαι LXX Is. 18.7, (ἐκ‐) Anacr. 21.10, (ἀπο‐) Anaxil. 22.20, (παρα‐) Ar. Ra. 516:—pluck or pull outhair, etc., πολιὰς δ’ ἄρ’ ἀνὰ τρίχας ἕλκετο χερσί, τίλλων ἐκ κεφαλῆς Il. 22.78; τίλλε κόμην ib.406; τρίχας Men. Epit. 271, Her. 5; ἐρέβινθον PCair.Zen. 719.6 (iii B.C.); τ. στάχυας καὶ ἐσθίειν Ev.Matt. 12.1; τ. χόρτον τοῖς κτῆσι PFlor. 321.47 (iii A.D.):— Med., Χαίτας τίλλεσθαι pluck out one's hair, Od. 10.567.

2. with acc. of that from which the hair or feathers are plucked, τίλλειν πέλειαν, of birds of prey, 15.527, cf. Hdt. 3.76; κίρκον εἰσορῶ . . χηλαῖς κάρα τίλλοντα A. Pers. 209; τίλλουσι τὴν γλαῦκα, of small birds attacking the owl, Arist. HA 609a15; so of the cuckoo, ib.618a29 (Pass.); as a description of an idle fellow, τίλλων ἑαυτόν Ar. Pax 546, cf. Ra. 428; of a cook, pluck a fowl, Eub. 150.5, cf. Plu. 2.233a; also τ. λαγών Ar. Fr. 212; τ. πλάτανον pluck its leaves off, Plu. Them. 18; τὸν στέφανον τῖλαί με κατ’ αὐτίκα λεπτὰ ποησεῖς Theoc. l.c.; κῴδια τ. PPetr. 2p.108 = 3p.78 (iii B.C.); also, pluck live sheep, instead of shearing, τοῖς τίλλουσιν τὰ ὑποδίφθερα (sc. πρόβατα) PCair.Zen. 430.3 (iii B.C.), cf. Suid. s.v. πεκτῆρες:—Pass., have one's hair plucked out, Ar. Th. 593; τέφρᾳ τιλθῆναι, as a punishment of adulterers, Id. Nu. 1083; v. παρατίλλω, τέφρα.

3. c. acc. cogn., τίλματα τ. Plu. 2.48b, cf. Herod. 2.70.

4. τ. μέλη pluck the harp-strings, play harp-tunes, Cratin. 256 (lyr.).

5. pick so as to extract fibre, τετίλκασι στιππύου δέσμας ς/ PCair.Zen.l.c.

6. νεφέλιον παρατεταμένον καὶ τιλλόμενον cirrous, Thphr. Sign. 43.

II. since tearing the hair was a usual expression of sorrow, τίλλεσθαί τινα tear one's hair in sorrow for any one, τόν γ’ ἄλοχός τε φίλη καὶ πότνια μήτηρ τιλλέσθην Il. 24.711: without acc., τιλλόμενοι καὶ κλαίοντες Phld. Ir. p.36 W.

III. metaph., pluck, vex, annoy, Anacr. 13B; στέφανον τ., = τοὺς νόμους λυμαίνεσθαι, Pythag. ap. Porph. VP 42:—Pass., ὑπὸ συκοφαντῶν τίλλεσθαι, with allusion to a bird's feathers, Ar. Av. 285. (Not found in Att. Prose.)